Video: Doncaster residents unite against hate crime

An anti-racism video, made in response to reports of post-Brexit hate crime, which features Doncaster residents has had 40,000 views online.
Brothers Fiero Riley-Craft and Leo Riley-Craft, both pupils at Kingfisher Primary School, Doncaster, are presented with certificates from Deputy Mayor Glyn Jones for their involvement with an anti-racism video.Brothers Fiero Riley-Craft and Leo Riley-Craft, both pupils at Kingfisher Primary School, Doncaster, are presented with certificates from Deputy Mayor Glyn Jones for their involvement with an anti-racism video.
Brothers Fiero Riley-Craft and Leo Riley-Craft, both pupils at Kingfisher Primary School, Doncaster, are presented with certificates from Deputy Mayor Glyn Jones for their involvement with an anti-racism video.

The footage shows people holding up placards, each bearing a word or phrase, which taken together spell out various anti-racism messages.

The video was produced by Just West Yorkshire, a charity which works to promote racial justice and human rights, and includes residents from across the borough.

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Nadeem Murtuja, chairman of the charity, said: “Since the Brexit vote we have heard a lot of reports of hate crime. We wanted to make it clear that vote for Brexit was not a vote for racism.

“We asked people of all backgrounds if they had heard of incidents of hate crimes and many said they had. Not all had been victims, but a lot of people were aware of it happening.

“We want to give a strong, resolute message that racism is not acceptable. The video has gone viral now, it’s just incredible.”

The video, which features residents of all ages, was filmed in Elmfield Park, Wheatley and Doncaster town centre.

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Messages include ‘humanity has no race’ and ‘religion, gender or politics, we are one community’.

The video features two Kingfisher Primary School pupils, brothers Fiero Riley-Craft and Leo Riley-Craft.

The pair were presented with certificates of achievement at the school, on Coventry Grove, by Deputy Mayor Councillor Glyn Jones.

According to South Yorkshire Police, there has been no increase in reports of hate crime in Doncaster because of the UK voting to leave the European Union.

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In June this year 18 hate crimes were reported to the force, compared with 17 in June 2015. However, Mr Murtuja believes that not every victim of hate crime is reporting it. The police have urged people to report incidents of racism to them.